Dragonfly in Amber

Silas calls the royal police and has Alexander arrested for rape and Jamie for running an illegal brothel. When Jamie returns home, he tells Claire the judge decided to put all the accused in jail until Mary can make a statement, but the Minister of Finance vouched for Jamie, allowing him to return home. Exhausted, he and Claire prepare to go to bed, but Murtagh comes to Jamie, and claims he failed Jamie by allowing Claire and Mary to be attacked and asks to be killed. Jamie has Murtagh swear a new oath to find and kill the men who attacked Claire and Mary.

The following morning, Claire wonders aloud who La Dame Blanche is. Jamie says that he told the men who took him to the brothel that his wife was La Dame Blanche and would kill him if he were to have sex with another woman. He meant it to save his virtue but realizes that it has caused a rumor to spread about Claire.

Claire visits Master Raymond to gather herbs for Mary. Once she has chosen her purchases, she and Raymond move to his private room. Claire learns that Raymond has also spread word that Claire is La Dame Blanche, further spreading the rumors about her. He claims it is simply a way to guide the gossip, but that she shouldn’t worry about being hung as a witch. No one has been hung as a witch in France in 20 years. Raymond also tells Claire that he heard Charles Stuart is looking to get into the wine importing business to buy a ship he can use to travel to Scotland. He says the king has reason to support Charles’s rebellion in Scotland because he is trying to garner support from England to invade Brussels, and a rebellion in Scotland would distract England enough for France to proceed with their “foreign ventures” (360).

Claire visits Mary and finds her physically well, but emotionally a wreck. Mary’s aunt and uncle have told her she has brought shame on the family and her arranged marriage is no longer going forward. Mary is relieved not to have to marry an old man, but she is afraid that Alexander Randall, with whom she is in love, will no longer want her. Claire is aware that a marriage between Mary and Alexander now would cause Alexander to lose his job and be unable to care for a family, so she believes such a marriage cannot happen. She does her best to console Mary.

While visiting the Duke of Sandringham, Claire tries to find Alexander Randall to set up a meeting with Mary, but instead runs into Jack Randall, alive and well. It turns out the body removed from the dungeon at Wentworth Prison was Jack’s orderly. Jamie catches up with Claire and is equally shocked to see Jack alive. Jamie threatens Jack’s life, then sends Claire home alone. Frightened for what Jamie will do, she calls for Murtagh, instead finding Dougal MacKenzie in the drawing room.

Claire convinces Dougal to go with her to the police to make a false claim that Jack is one of the would-be rapists the night she and Mary were attacked. When Dougal hears about the incident, he tells her that he has heard rumors of a society called Les Disciples that requires such acts committed by its membership candidates. He says he’s heard the Vicomte de Busca and the Comte St. Germain are involved. Claire realizes the man who spoke to her that night could have been the Comte St. Germain, but wonders why she didn’t recognize his voice.

Claire returns home and finds that Jamie has been home. He cut his hair and took his sword. When Jamie returns home a short time later, he is angry with Claire because Jack has been arrested and taken to the Bastille. He has proof that he was at the Duke of Sandringham’s on the night in question and won’t remain in the Bastille for long. Jamie intends to challenge him to a duel at that time. Claire begs him not to. She tells him that Frank’s ancestor will be conceived around the following Christmas. She asks him to please wait until then to kill Jack. Jamie tells her to choose between him and Frank. She refuses.